Blog Post

Community-based institutions, whether they be civil society groups or community radio stations, have the reach and community buy-in to best serve citizens’ needs, and advocate on citizens’ behalf. On a recent trip to Gbarnga, in Bong County, I learned first-hand the breadth of that reach and the exciting cumulative effect of the mentorship and training that the Civil Society and Media Leadership Program in Liberia (CSML) has been providing since 2010.

Forty-five years after IREX’s visionary founders established a single overseas office in Armenia, their NGO progeny works with 125 countries in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Over half a million people were touched by IREX staff and projects last year. “Make a better world” is not only our commitment, it is our operational plan. Somewhere around the world at every hour of the day, IREX’ers are making a difference. Yes, it’s people, it’s time, it’s money that make that difference, but the key component is the power of ideas.

The return on investments in girls’ education and training is well-documented and dramatic. An extra year of primary school boosts girls’ eventual wages by 10-20%. An extra year of secondary school results in a 15-25% increase. For international development organizations like IREX, dedicated to practical initiatives with clear impact, that makes the mandate pretty clear: create opportunities that further girls’ education and training.

April 25th is Girls in ICT Day, and the Beyond Access Team is excited to join the conversation and highlight the vital role of libraries in promoting ICT use among girls. Below, we’ve gathered some great resources and events to help you get involved. Stay tuned for more from Beyond Access on how libraries can use ICT to empower women and girls.

In honor of Earth Day 2013 and the theme: The Face of Climate Change, IREX is pleased to recognize the work of our Community Solutions leaders in the field of environmental issues. Over the past two years, 18 environmental leaders from 13 countries have come to the US for practical hands on experience and leadership training.

A recent Pew Research poll showed that the three budget accounts that Americans most wanted to cut were foreign assistance, the State Department and unemployment benefits. This may be based in part on the wide misperception and overestimation of the overall amount of foreign aid in the US budget. (It is less than 1%.)

The images told a story, one of confusion, misunderstanding and the stark reality that confronts the men in this room on a daily basis. It’s a reality that poses a challenge for IREX and its partners. At issue: mainstreaming gender in community radio programs and policies. The 19 men here were in the central Liberian city of Gbarnga for a CSML-run gender awareness training for community radio managers and news directors. They had been asked to draw images of their understanding of gender, and their drawings spoke volumes.

“You know there’s hundreds of thousands of girls like you, you’re not alone in this revolution,” Ms. Yaman Al Qadri, then 18, reminded herself after being arrested by police, detained, and tortured with electric shocks. Al Qadri, a peaceful Syrian activist, was held in detention for 23 days in 2011 for throwing pamphlets from the roof of a Damascus University building. While extraordinary, countless Syrian women share similar experiences, efforts, and determination. Along with the mounting lessons from history, this brings to light an important truth: Mainstreaming women’s voices is critical to the inclusive transition that Syria needs.

We’re going to celebrate International Women’s Day this week, and when we do, the ceremonies will focus on outstanding women. These women will be heroes for all of us - every man, woman and child around the world. When women are able to play more useful and important roles in our societies, everyone benefits, and our horizons keep expanding.

Between International Women’s Day on the 8th and March being Women’s History Month, this is a time for IREX to reaffirm our ongoing commitment to gender equality and to examine how we and our partners around the world are advancing “The Gender Agenda.”